Walt Disney Imagineer, Dave Minichiello, provided a look behind the final steps to the completion of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

Minichiello has been a part of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train project for two years. He started as an art director on the Little Mermaid attraction and will be taking the Mine Train all the way through as the creative director.

When discussing milestones, Minichiello said that everything has come along amazingly well.

"Pretty much every day is a milestone and some major ones that I’d like to mention are the Dwarfs Cottage, which is going quickly and looking amazing," he said. "The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train being a part of the forest - we’re starting to see it as a part of the forest with the tree planting. We’re finally starting to see it all come together."

The ride is making a lot of progress, according to Minichiello. Currently, the top of the mountain is being planted with trees, the final rock work is being completed as well as thematic painting of the rock work. Ride testing continues daily. Workers are also propping the attraction both inside and outside.

Minichiello said about the video, "What’s interesting about the video is that there’s a CGI model, which was the first concept model that we developed for this show. What’s amazing is seeing how accurate it was to our initial concept and vision. What’s amazing is how accurate the sight lines are, the staging, the scaling, the variable speeds. We’re fortunate to use innovative technologies during the development of our attraction."

Minichiello and his team decided to bring the concept of the Seven Dwarfs to Fantasyland because they wanted to create a mix of attractions that would offer a broad variety of experiences for their guests.

“We were looking for a family coaster type of experience. That led us to Snow White and a Mine Train type of vehicle. As a centerpiece of the New Fantasyland expansion, we also thought that this type of experience would create kinetic energy throughout the land,” he said.

The ride will feature a surprise song in the music queue. It was originally written for the film called “Music in Your Soup." They have recorded an instrumental version exclusively for the Mine Train. They wanted to give it the feel that it was played by the Seven Dwarfs.

The ride will have interactive elements. There will be an area where guests can sort and wash jewels, and guests will be taken into the vault as seen in “Snow White.”

There will also be opportunity to experience some favorite characters from the film.

The ride is described as a combination of a family coaster and a dark ride.

"It is unlike anything else in our parks. The attraction is more innovative in its ride system and vehicle. It is for the entire family. It gives the guests a new sensation they’ve never had before. We felt that uniqueness was the best way to tell our story," said Minichiello.

“From the very beginning, we wanted to showcase those sight lines and see Storybook Circus, a little bit of Mermaid, then we head inside the mine to see the Dwarfs, you come out and see Prince Eric’s Castle, and an amazing view of Cinderella Castle. At our highest lift, you see Prince Eric’s Castle, Beast Castle and Cinderella Castle, so the views are spectacular," Minichiello said.

Some of the trains have been on the track for testing and Minichiello said that they have proved to be very smooth, providing sensations of pivoting back and forth and it continues to change throughout the attraction. Guests will feel differences in the various terrain around the mountain.

At one point in the ride, the train will slow down when it hits the “dark ride” point. The reason this happens is so that guests can enjoy the details of the scene. This is where guests can discover their favorite dwarfs, and all seven will be hard at work in the mine scene. There will also be hidden stuff in there.

The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will mark the completion of the entire New Fantasyland expansion.

Minichiello said, “It’s that final gem in the overall New Fantasyland project and we are excited to share it with our guests. For myself and all of our team members, it has been really special to bring all these stories into Magic Kingdom for our guests to experience."